milette



T. MILETTE; Canal-Lock.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1'.-

Patented May 11, 1880. F174.

ATTORNEYS.

N.PEIERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPPER, WASHXNGTON. D C.

r 2Sheets-Shet 2. T. MILETTE Canal-Look. No. 227,563. Patented May 11, I880.

NFETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHiR, WASHINGYON. D. C,

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS MlLETTE, OF THREE RIVERS, QUEBEC, CANADA.

CANAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,563, dated May 11, 1880,

Application filed November 13, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS MILETTE, of Three Rivers, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Canal-Lock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of the devices for opening and closing the lock-gates and sluice-gates of canal-locks; also, to improvements in the floor or invert of the lock-chamher.

The object of these improvements is to facilitate the working of the said gates and to furnish a water-way or sluice under the floor and lock-gates for the entrance and emission of the water.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan of one end of a lock provided with my improvements. Fig. 2is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the devices for operating the lockgates and sluice-gate, placed in a cavity of the side wall. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the floor of the lock. Fig. 5 is a detail of the mechanism for operating the gates. Fig. 6 represents the pulley in the side wall, opposite the operative mechanism, around which the gate-rope is run and Fig. 7 represents the water-wheel mechanism for operating the gates.

Similar -1etters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A A are the side walls of the lock, inclosing the lock-chamber B, near one end whereof are two of the lockgates G O, hinged to the side walls in the usual manner, and adapted to enter recesses a a in the side walls when open, and when closed to stop against the sills I) b, projecting from the c walls and joining each other in the midat an angle, said sills being attached to L. J solid portion 0 of the upper floor of the lock.

Inside of wall A, just back of recess a, and a little above the level of the upper floor, is

pivoted horizontally a grooved pulley, (1. Just 1 in front of sills I) I), on either side of the angle, are similar pulleys e e, and within side walls, A, on a level with pulleys cl 0 e, and back of the recess a on this side is journaled a horizontal shaft, f, carrying two upright grooved on the bottom thereof.

pulleys, g g. On top of wall A is placed a frame, in which is journaled the shaft of a drum, I), and just above the Windlass is journaled a crank-shaft, h, on which is a pinion, i. The shaft h has a slight movement in its bearings in the direction of its length, whereby pinion 'i is adapted to be placed in and out of gear with a spur-wheel, j, fixed to the drum. A rope, E, has one end attached to the drum, and is then wound around it in one direction, carried down through a cavity in wall A to grooved pulley g, thence horizontally, close to the bottom of the lock, to the free edge of the adjacent gate, through which it is passed, but the gate is made fast to it; thence to pulley e, around that, and through or under the gate 0 to pulley d, an opening being made in the wall for it to pass through. It is carried around this pulley to the free edge of gate 0, passed through this, being made fast to it as to gate 0 thence to pulley e, aroundthis, and through or under the gate 0 to pulley g; thence up to the drum again, around which the end is wound and secured in an opposite direction to the winding of the first end, as previously described. By this arrangement, on turning the drum in one direction the gates G O are drawn open toward the side walls for the passage in or out of the boats, and on reversing its movements they are closed toward each other against the sills b I), to prevent the escape of the water from the lock-chamber. Thus, from one side of the lock and from one point the lock-gates are opened and closed.

The floor of the lock is composed of narrow rectangular frames F, composed of top and bottom pieces joined to end pieces, leaving the sides open. The tops are narrower than the bottoms, as shown in Fig.4. These frames are placed side by side crosswise of the lock, The narrower tops leave spaces It between, and a continuous sluiceway, G, is formed under the floor and gates from end to end of the lock, and the water flows through the spaces 70 into this sluice, thence out of the lock.

The part of the floor marked 0 is made in all essential respects like frames F, but is broad, in order to furnish a firm and connected bearing for the sills b, which are attached to it.

In that part of the sluiceway formed by part c is placed the sluice-gate H, composed of two wings in the same plane attached to a central shaft, the projecting ends whereof forming gudgeons are passed through the side walls at a point midway between the two floors, and suitably journaled therein, so that it will turn on its axis and allow the wings to assume a position to open the sluice or to be thrown against the upper and lower floor to close the sluice.

The end of the shaft of the gate projecting through side wall,A,is provided with a crankarm, Z, which is pivoted to the lower end of the connecting-bar I, the upper end whereof is pivoted to the segmental ratchet J, pivoted to the side wall in the space left for the passage of the rope E to the drum, so as to vibrate freely on its pivot.

The vibrating ratchet meshes with an idlewheel, m, and this in turn meshes with a pinion, n, fixed to a spur-wheel, 0, placed loosely on' the shaft of drum D.

On shaft h is a second pinion, 2', so placed that when pinion 11 is in gear with the drum spur-wheel it is out of gear with spurwheel 0, but when the shaft is moved to carry pinion 13 out of gear with its spur-wheel, pinion i is placed in gear with wheel 0, and by turning the crank the motion is communicated through the gearing to the ratchet, and it is vibrated. When moved in one direction it causes bar I to throw the crank-arm Zdown, and thus open the sluice-gate; but when the motion is reversed the gate is shut.

Thus it will be seen that by means of one crank-shaft the drum can be operated to open and close the lock-gates, and then, by shifting the shaft, it operates the gearing for opening and closing the sluice-gate, so that one man from one point can do both without changing his position.

In Fig. 7 is shown an arrangement for operating the gates by water-power. K is the water-wheel, placed so as to be operated by the waste-water from the lock. On its shaft at the upper end is a beveled pinion, r,'and on a shaft, 8, is a drum, L, having a beveled spur-wheel on each end. By means of a lever, t, this drum is shifted so as to throw one or other of its beveled spur-wheels in gear with the pinion on the water-wheel shaft, and thus enable reverse motions to be given to shaft 8. The opposite end of shaft 8 is connected by a clutch, t, with the shaft of drum M, which corresponds to drum D in the first-described arrangement, it being intended that the lockgate ropes shall run over the drum. By means of the clutch the drum-shaft is put in or out of connection with shaft 8. To the clutch on the end of shaft 8 is attached a pinion, a, which is thrown by the clutch in or out of gear with a spur-wheel, t, which, in turn,

gears with the segmental vibrating ratchet J, that gives motion to the connecting-rod I, that operates the sluice-gate. Thus, when the clutch connects shaft 5 and the drum-shaft the pinion a is disengaged from spur-wheel c, and the sluice-gate is not worked; but when the shafts are disconnected the pinion engages the spur-wheel and operates the sluice-gate, it being understood that the reverse motions are given to the mechanism by the position of the drum L, and the mechanism is thrown out of gear with the water-wheel by the same device.

The advantages of this improvement are numerous, and will be readily understood by those acquainted with the construction and operation of canal-locks. Each pair of gates can be operated by one man, and without changing his place he can also operate the sluice-gates. This will make a great saving in operating the locks, as many men are now required to do the same work, and, in addition, the boats can be put through the locks in much less time than by the old arrangement. Then again, as the operating mechanism is all 011 one side, a free pathway is left for the teams on the other side, and thus the time expended on shifting the ropes is saved and the danger of crossing and recrossing the lock is avoided. These are a few of the advantages of my improvements; but it has many others of equal value.

I am aware that previous to my invention lock-gates were so arranged and combined with a suitable system of ropes or chains and pulleys, in connection with a winch or capstan, that the attendant could operate the gates from one side of the lock.

' Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The gate H, arranged in sluice G under the lock-gates, with the shaft journaled in the side walls and carrying on one end a crank, 1, connected by rod I to a vibrating segmental ratchet, J, the same being actuated by a loose spur-wheel that is on the shaft of drum D, and is operated by a pinion, 'i, on crank-shaft h, all combined and arranged as described, whereby the said sluice-gate is adapted to be opened and closed from the same position that the lock-gates are operated.

2. The double bottom of the lock, composed of rectangular frames F, placed side by side, with interstices between their upper sides for the passage of the water, said double bottom thus forming a sluice, Gr, under the lockchamber.

THOMAS MILETTE. Witnesses:

S. S. PERVAIS, T. E. NORMAND. 

